Getting your personal training certification

Amy_B

I have been toying around in the back of my mind of doing something either full time or part time in the field of fitness. I am not currently a member at a gym, so I can't really teach aerobics or another class. Have any of you gotten your personal training license or anything? What does that involve? How easy is it to find work? Please give me any information that you might have. Thanks!

CoachFoland

I'm not a personal trainer, but am planning to start studying to become one through ACE (American Council on Exercise). There are several others out there though. Some are accredited and others are not. If you have someplace that you're interested in working, you should call them and ask what their preference is when hiring. For instance, my work gym will only hire people who are certified from ACE or ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). Some places though, will only hire if you have a degree in excersize science from a university/college.

There are also some "dummys" books out there, that I'm sure would lead you in the right direction as far as answering your questions.

kerrilucko

it depends on where you live.

I live in Ontario, Canada. My husband has a BA in physical education (he's a teacher). He took a course in university that basically qualified him to be a personal trainer, all he had to do after that was pay a fee and write a test.

In other words, you take a course, write a test and pay a fee. Then you can either work freelance or work for a gym in your area. There are a bazillion gyms in our area (GTA) looking for personal trainers, it's really booming right now.

Azdak

it depends on where you live.

I live in Ontario, Canada. My husband has a BA in physical education (he's a teacher). He took a course in university that basically qualified him to be a personal trainer, all he had to do after that was pay a fee and write a test.

In other words, you take a course, write a test and pay a fee. Then you can either work freelance or work for a gym in your area. There are a bazillion gyms in our area (GTA) looking for personal trainers, it's really booming right now.

The sad thing is that, even with that modest background, your husband is probably better trained than 95% of the personal trainers out there.

wolf23

I am not a personal trainer but a certified fitness instructor through AAFA. To get a primary certification involves surprisingly very little. You can either take a workshop usually lasting two days, which is somewhat intense but not too difficult, or take the class online . Areas covered include "Essentials in Exercise" (ex. Energy production during exercise, Musculoskeletal system, Cardiopulmonary system, Training for strength, Training for flexibility, along with others) The class goes over safety guidelines, How to teach Exercise, Nutrition and Weight Management, touches on Personal training (but not enough to be a trainer) Special Populations, Specialty classes & Trainings. It sounds like alot, but a lot of the things are general knowledge if you are somewhat informed on health. After you complete the course you take a multiple choice test and a practical. You also need to get certified in CPR. Not sure how the other associations work but with AAFA you must renew your certification every two years by obtaining 15 CEU's (continuing education) either by taking workshops or taking classes online and you must renew your CPR training and lets not forget the renewal fee. Workshops can be fun and often the gym you work for will fund these. Most revolve around teaching certain class formats to get certified to teach kickboxing, spinning, etc. You can also take mini classes online through AAFA which range in health information (ex. heart disease, eating disorders...). It is a fun job (I've been doing it for over 9 years) but don't expect to get rich although there are other benefits, including free gym membership, no excuses not to exercise, and helping others get fit. Most instructors have real paying jobs and do this on the side. Personal training is better pay (if you have decent clientele base) but to get certified is way more involved both in time, education and money. Finding jobs as a certified instructor is fairly easy (hospitals, colleges, churches, along with fitness facilities are always looking for motivated instructors. Whether you decide to become a personal trainer or instructor be sure to get certified by an accredited organization. Some are more respected than others depending on your area and where you decide to work. Good luck to you.

Cheers!

Iceprincessk25

I teach a personal training certification class out in CA. It takes 8 weeks of meeting once a week on the weekends for 8 hours and then you take practical. THey teach classes all over so there may be one by you that you can check out.

http://www.witseducation.com/